“MODERNISM IN THE MIDWEST” EXPLORED IN RIFFE GALLERY SHOW

By Jud Yalkut

Through January 9, the Ohio Arts Council Riffe Gallery is presenting “Against the Grain: Modernism in the Midwest,” curated by Christine Fowler Shearer, former executive director of the Massillon Museum in Massillon, Ohio. Her selection includes approximately 65 paintings produced between 1900 and 1950 by artists who were born in, studied or worked in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Artists in the show include: Gertrude Abercrombie, Ivan Albright, Charles Burchfield, William Sommer (shown) and William Zorach. “Modernism” refers to a series of progressive, even radical, cultural movements that promote new, revolutionary forms of art branching from cubism and abstraction to realism, reflecting European sensibilities engendered by the immigrant population of the Midwest. The Riffe Gallery is in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts at 77 S. High St. in Columbus with gallery hours every day, except Monday and holidays. Call (614) 644-9624 or visitwww.riffegallery.org for more info.